


Theory

by flinchflower



Series: Flashback [8]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen, Hunters & Hunting, Networking, Research, World religions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-02
Updated: 2015-06-02
Packaged: 2018-04-02 11:10:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4057783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flinchflower/pseuds/flinchflower
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt #9: Compatible.  Sam develops a fantastic theory.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Theory

**Author's Note:**

> See series notes for all disclaimers, explanations, and humdingery.
> 
> Special humdingery for this fic would be me playing fast and loose with religions and magical concepts - but this IS Supernatural, after all...

Sam’s been poring over Bobby’s library, and even gotten swatted for his troubles a couple of times, because he’s itching to rearrange it, for one thing. Bobby tolerates a lot, but that carefully collected gathering of demonology texts? Is his baby. He doesn’t mind Dean messing around in the yard, so long as he stays away from Bobby’s working area, where he restores old cars for extra cash. And his library’s always been open to the dozens of hunters he knows. But rearranging it? Off limits.

“Samuel,” he growls, looking at the texts strewn around the boy on the library table, seeing the post it flags hanging from the shelves – it looks like there’s going to be another mutiny on his shelves, and he’s going to put an end to it. Instead of rolling his eyes though, the kid waves him over, looking excited.

“I think I found something, Bobby,” he says, and of all the folks cluttering up his house these days, Sam’s the only one who can get Bobby’s full attention with those few words.

“Show me,” he says dragging up a chair. He glances up at the books as Sam starts running down a numbered lists, reading off facts Bobby already knows. The flags are numbered, and he relaxes – Sam’s just keeping track of where he’s been, is all. And as Sam continues to read, voice sounding a little ragged, he hears what the kid is seeing.

It’s a bridge between magics, of a sort, the combination of ley line work – hard to find in the US, at least powerful ones, and it’s using Wicca, of all things, to pull in the ley lines, along with some old santero magics, and Sam’s starting to work a divination angle on it. Bobby’s amazed.

“Sam, it looks compatible to me. But I think we want some more opinions on it, practitioners, you know?”

“We’ve got most of ‘em, Bobby – I’ve got my priesthood, remember? And Dad’s old buddy, Mathieu, is a santero – so I hope to god you know someone who knows the ley lines.”

Bobby grunts. “I need to think on it, Sam.”

And dig through your antiquated stacks of file cards that you keep names and numbers on,Sam thinks, but it’s not too critical, Bobby’s method works for him, even if it drives Sam batshit crazy. Bobby explained it once when they were little, very carefully, and Sam remembers Dean told him years later he was lucky Bobby hadn’t spanked him. He nods.

“And Sam? Useful as it is, what are you aiming at here – I know you’re not done yet, but give an old man a clue here.”

“Oh. Demon binding, Bobby – might work for Dean and the war,” he says with relish.

Bobby chuckles, and heads for his study. He’s spent a lot of time in there, and all the Winchesters, plus Ellen and Jim, know to stay the hell out of there. The boys never did when they were little, but as they got old enough to understand what privacy was – several years after a normal kid would have – they respected it thoroughly, the same way they did everything they set their hands to.

He’s been digging for a few minutes when there’s a knock on his door. 

“What,” he growls, and John of all people opens the door. The man is still pale, frail in a way John Winchester has never looked, yet you can see the life snapping in his eyes, see the fight in him as he pushes to train himself back into fighting form. Bobby has doubts that it will happen, but he knows John needs it. He’s seen it before with hunters, they need back in the game, and he hopes John will have the common sense to respect himself, hold back, because most of them? Are dead of dumb mistakes, made because they pushed too hard. He’ll do what he can to prevent that with John, though, and two sons that are better hunters than John even, though with less experience, ought to help with that matter.

“Sit,” he says gruffly, gesturing at the armchair where he reads, some nights. It’s a little far from his desk, but he wants John off his feet. “What brings you in here.”

“Ellen’s got another hunt dug up, demon near here. I dunno what to do,” he says. “Sam’s not a hundred percent yet, and I’m not ready to trust Dean out on his own.”

Bobby grunts. “Easy then. I hook your kid up with the networking he needs, and me’n’Ellen take it on. Unless it needs more?”

“No. Simple possession,or looks it, at any rate, word in town says they’re comin’ to you anyhow.”

“So what’s the issue.”

“I need to DO something, dammit,” and John’s fist crashes down on the armrest, the color high –too high, in his cheeks.

“No problem,” Bobby drawls. “Give that kid of yours some guidance in how to wrangle a santero and a diviner in the same room.”

John’s jaw drops, predictably. “You wanna explain that a little?”

“No. Your kid’ll do a better job. For now, call Jim, ask him if Sir Edward’s still kicking around in Tennessee.”

“Shit,” John says again, and the man’s quite eloquent when he stoops to the lower realms of the English language. “Sir Edward? You know I can’t stand the guy.”

“He’s changed a bit, Johnny. Sam’s gonna need him, what he’s looking for, though. You have the kid get him and Matty out here, I’ll be glad enough to spend some time with them both, at any rate.”

“The house, Bobby, we’re takin’ up-“

“Changed my mind about a few things. This ain’t gonna be no hospital for wounded hunters, mind you, but with a war on, need to be more open. You need to keep Dean busy now that Ford’s finished, you set him to cleaning out the third floor rooms. I’ll show him before we take off where to put the stuff.”

“Bobby.”

“I’m counting on you and Ellen to stick around and help,” he says gruffly, and John nods. “You can run ‘em round the course, Ellen can smack some sense into ‘em, and I can teach ‘em a few things, we get hunters as need us.”

John’s stunned. Bobby’s talking about a school for hunters. He’s been thinking about what’s gonna happen to him, because he’s not springing back as fast as he ought to, it’s all slow. Bobby gives him an infernal smirk and closes the door on John, leaves him sitting in the study.

Well now. He leans back in the easy chair, mind turning over the burden that Bobby’s left him with. He’ll talk to Tess, maybe give Jim a call. But he doesn’t need the pastor to tell him he might have the answer to his prayers.

**Author's Note:**

> Music: Jewel - What's Simple Is True


End file.
